Hocus Pocus 3 is in development at Disney according to studio head Sean Bailey… although it’s unclear if Bette Midler, Sarah Jessica Parker and Kathy Najimy will return
Months after Hocus Pocus 2 launched on the Disney Plus streaming service, Sean Bailey, president of Walt Disney Studios Motion Picture Production, has confirmed that Hocus Pocus 3 is on the way.
Bailey revealed in a new interview with The New York Times that a third installment of the Halloween franchise is in the works.
“Yes, Hocus Pocus 3 is in the works,” Bailey confirmed in the interview, although no further details were revealed.
The news isn’t terribly surprising, given the success of Hocus Pocus 2, setting a new record with 2.7 billion minutes watched in its first week on Disney Plus.
There’s no confirmation yet that Bette Midler, Sarah Jessica Parker, and Kathy Najimy will return as the Sanderson Sisters again, though it seems likely.
Sequel: Months after Hocus Pocus 2 launched on the Disney Plus streaming service, Sean Bailey, President of Walt Disney Studios Motion Picture Production, has confirmed that Hocus Pocus 3 is happening
Sequel: “Yes, Hocus Pocus 3 is happening,” Bailey confirmed in the interview, although no further details were revealed
The original Hocus Pocus was released in 1993, following the three witches known as the Sanderson Sisters – Winifred (Midler), Sarah (Parker) and Mary (Najimy), who are inadvertently resurrected on Halloween – 300 years after their execution at Salem.
The film also starred Omri Katz and Thora Birch as the children who raised the witches, as well as Vinessa Shaw and Doug Jones.
The film earned $45 million at the box office and became a cult classic after its home video release.
Freeform would air the film every Halloween, with 8.2 million viewers tuning in for the 25th anniversary release in 2018, with an anniversary special filmed at Hollywood Forever Cemetery.
While the stars had often spoken of their interest in returning for a sequel, this one finally entered development in 2019.
Anne Fletcher has signed on to direct from a script by original Hocus Pocus writer David Kirschner, starring Jen D’Angelo and Blake Harris.
The cast was completed by Sam Richardson, Tony Hale, Doug Jones, Whitney Peak, Belissa Escobedo, Lilia Buckingham and Froy Gutierrez.
The audience was spread across many diverse demographics, with 2-11 year olds, 18-34 year olds and 35-49 year olds each accounting for 25%.
Original: The original Hocus Pocus was released in 1993, following the three witches known as the Sanderson Sisters – Winifred (Midler), Sarah (Parker) and Mary (Najimy), who are inadvertently resurrected on Halloween – 300 years after their execution in Salem
Cast: The film also starred Omri Katz and Thora Birch (middle) as the children who raised the witches, as well as Vinessa Shaw and Doug Jones.
Development: While the stars had often spoken of their interest in returning for a sequel, this one finally entered development in 2019
Hispanic audiences also made up around 21% of viewership, while the sequel also brought the original 1993 movie Hocus Pocus back into the top 10.
The original film racked up 774 million minutes of viewing, which was good for seventh place on the charts from September 27 to October 2.
It’s also worth noting that Nielsen’s streaming ratings only consider viewing on a TV screen, meaning mobile viewing isn’t counted.
